Search for missing Argentine submarine continues0:50

A search is under way for a missing Argentine navy submarine with 44 crew members on-board.

November 20th 2017

3 months ago

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Brazilian submarine Timbira is part of the international search mission for the missing Argentinian submarine, after nearly a week without signs of life. Picture: AFP Photo/Leo CorreaSource:AFP

SUBMARINE disasters are rare, but they do happen.

The worst recent tragedy came when Russian submarine the Kursk exploded underwater in August 2000, killing 118 people.

A torpedo detonated in the nuclear sub while it was conducting drills in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia, setting off around 20 other weapons — equivalent to around five tonnes of dynamite.

Russian authorities controversially refused help from British and Norwegian naval vessels.

Most on board died immediately but some are thought to have survived for several days, keeping heartbreaking diaries written in blood to their loved ones, before suffocating.

In disturbing echoes of that day, some Argentinian politicians have said they do not want British help in trying to find the sub, branding them “pirates” and “occupiers” for their fatal actions during the Falklands War in 1982.

“The Russian government didn’t really want us to go near for political reasons,” says Peter Horobin, an Australian leader at one of the world’s top submarine rescue services, JFD. “It was just a tragedy.

“That sort of thing wouldn’t happen now, touch wood, Western nations are very careful about explosives, we do tests to make sure.”

Time is running out for the ARA San Juan, which has been lost in the South Atlantic since last Wednesday morning. Picture: AFP Photo/Eitan SbramovichSource:AFP

The nine-nation, land and sea search is at a critical point. Picture: Argentinian Navy via APSource:AP

But relatives of the missing 44 crew members on the ARA San Juan are now saying the Argentinian navy responded too late. “They took two days to accept help because they minimised the situation,” Federico Ibanez, the brother of submarine crew member Cristian Ibanez, told The Associated Press.

Their sister Elena Alfaro added: “I feel like authorities let too much time pass by and decisions were taken late. And yet, I still carry some hope.”

Horobin said that no matter what happened, JFD and other maritime operators would learn from what has happened in Argentina. “We operate in a demanding environment,” he said. “The first rule of submarines is there’s always something to be learnt, the moment you think you know it all is the moment it becomes dangerous.

“There is always something to be learnt in these situations and people close to that need to be taking steps to make sure that happens.”

HOW TO SURVIVE ON A SUBMARINE

The explosion of Indian sub INS Sindhurakshak in a fireball in Mumbai harbour in August 2013 also ignited weapons on board, killing all 18 crew members.

The fire extinguishing system of Russian nuclear K-152 Nerpa submarine was accidentally activated during a test in the Sea of Japan in November 2008, releasing a poisonous gas that killed 20 and injured 21.

Seventy Chinese naval officers and crew died after a “mechanical failure” during a training exercise off the country’s north-east coast in May 2003, apparently of suffocation.

And in April 1989, a short circuit caused a fire on board Soviet nuclear submarine the Komsomolets, 500km from Norway. The vessel surfaced, allowing dozens to dive into the freezing waters or escape in lifeboats before it sank. Forty-two died on the boat or drowned in the icy sea while 24 survived.

Horobin says people who travel deep into the ocean for work have strong sensory awareness and exceptional teamwork skills. The former submariner says the bonds forged underwater last a lifetime, and he still feels a sense of “camaraderie” with the 2000 others in this country who have worked in the industry.

Horobin, who says he never feared for his own safety, insists the relatives of the Argentines on the missing submarine must be the focus right now.

“It’s a normal, calm, quiet life until the situation changes,” he told news.com.au. “The realisation of what is happening at this moment is hard to believe.

“The submariner is focused on his or her day job, but families think about it all the time.

“Like every submariner, I told them the submarine is safe, it’s all safe, I’d be well. For the great majority, that’s correct.”

Horobin, who provides services to the Australian navy and NATO, says submariners are usually well suited to their role. They volunteer for the role and undergo psychological and medical tests before they are placed aboard a vessel.

Fears are growing for the 44 missing crew members, who have not been in contact for seven days. Picture: AFP Photo/Leo CorreaSource:AFP

“They tend to self-select,” he said. “They’re generally fairly laid-back people, people who enjoy each other’s company, relaxed individuals, professional. They understand they rely on each other for their safety.

“There’s no such things as a one-man band on a submarine. Once you’re a submariner, you’re always a submariner.

“It’s a tight little club ... we’re all thinking and praying for the people on the San Juan and their families.”

‘OTHER EMPLOYEES LIVE IN A BOX: IT’S NOT SAFE FOR A SUBMARINER’

Submariners have to operate on a different level to the average worker, says Horobin. They need a detailed understanding of how their vessel works, as well as a heightened consciousness of what’s going on around them — including wind direction, weather, wave height and the position of the sun.

“Other employees live in a box,” says the chair of JFD’s Australian team. “It’s not safe for a submariner to live like that.

“They have to have 3D situational awareness ... harnessing all the senses, eyes, ears, to know what’s going on.

“You need to be very aware of the environment and operating safely in that environment.”

Horobin says one of his most frightening moments came when he was acting as lookout, strapped to the top of a submarine floating on the surface, and a gigantic wave washed over him. “The depth gauge showed 90 feet (27 metres),” he said. “I was very, very wet and very anxious.”

JFB, which is one of just three submarine rescue services in the world, works in a similar way to the San Diego team currently helping in the nine-nation search-and-rescue effort off the east coast of Argentina. Fears are growing that the sub, which has been missing for seven days, may have now run out of oxygen. Clues that have emerged, including failed satellite calls and heat signals, have been dismissed by officials as relatives waiting at Mar del Plata naval base grow increasingly despairing.

The crew is likely to be reaching a critical period of low oxygen if they remain underwater. Picture: AP Photo/Marina DevoSource:AP

The company has a small 25-tonne submarine that can hold around 16 crew members and has chambers to treat survivors. It can mobilise within hours when called out by a navy “like a fire brigade” and be airlifted to trouble spots anywhere in the world. A ship will then transport the rescue sub to the search area, where it can reach a depth of 400-600m — but it is much harder to deploy if waves are more than 4m high, as they were for the first few days of the Argentina search.

“Severe underwater currents tend to grab hold of the tether and pull the vessel away from where it needs to be,” he added.

— With wires

The submarine mystery has chilling echoes of the tragedy in which 118 died on board the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk in August 2000. Picture: AP Photo/FileSource:AP